Shoe-fastening.



Pa'tented June: l9, 1900.

J. aroma. SHOE FASTENING.

(Application filed Dec. 4, 1896.)

(No Model.)

TH: uonms versus 00., Pno'vmnna, wAsnmc'rcu. o. c..

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. POPE- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOE-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,976, dated June 19, 1900. Application filed December 4, 1896. Serial 1\lo. 614,864. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, JOHN F. POPE, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 1649 West Harrison street, Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful shoe, gaiter, &c., fastener or a new method of buttoning shoes and other articles the flaps or parts of which are ordinarily fastened or held together by buttons or that may be by my new invention conveniently so fastened or held together, of which said new invention the following isa speci- 'fication, reference being also had to the drawing-s hereto annexed.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in fasteners for shoes, and it is also applicable to gloves or like articles.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an extremely-simple and highly-efficient fastener which will permit of a limited lateral movement of the members composing it without effecting their disengagement and which will also be free of any engaging points with which clothing might contact, and thereby tend to undo or loosen the parts.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a shoe in perspective equipped with my fastener. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the fastener. Fig. 3 is a somewhat similar but enlarged View with a portion of the head or button broken away. Fig. 4.- is a view in perspective showing the fastener. Fig. 5 is a plan View also having a portion of the head or button broken away. Fig. 6 shows the band by which the shanks of the several fasteners are secured to a flap.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, A designates a shoe, B the fastener in its entirety, and E the flap, to which the heads or buttons are secured. Each head or button H is on the outer end of a shank D of less cross-sectional area than that of the button. The shanks of several buttons are secured to a band E, which is attached to the flap E of the shoe-upper. In that face of each button H opposite the edge of the flap by which the button is carried are two grooves on either side of shank D,with which they are approximately parallel, terminating at their outer ends in recesses which extend into the head or button at right angles to the grooves and parallel with the outer edge of the shank D. The complementary element consists of two prongs J J, secured to the other flap of the shoe or like article, with sufficient space between them to accommodate the shank D, so that when the two flaps are brought together sufliciently near to enable the head or button to extend beyond the outwardly-projecting portions of the prongs the shank D may be lowered between the latter. These prongs have their outer ends bent at right angles to those por tions which fit within the grooves of the head or button when the latter is positioned between the prongs, and said right-angle ends then project into the right-angular recesses at the outer ends of the grooves. In this way not only are the two outwardly-projecting portions of the prongs relied upon for holding the head or button, but the right-angular ends of said prongs being projected into recesses in the head or button in parallelism with the outer edge of the shank a limited play is allowed as between the flaps and the complementar-y parts of the fastener without permitting the latter to disengage. 'Aside from this advantage there is another in the fact that the angular ends of the prongs are so protected that the clothing of the wearer cannot engage with such prongs, and thereby have a tendency not only to tear the clothing, but to cause the separation of the two parts of the fastener.

I claim as my invention- The fastener-herein described comprising a head or button, a shank on one end of which the head or button is located, the other end of the shank being secured to one of two flaps, said head or button having on either side of this shank two grooves paralleling said sides, and also having two independent separate reoesses extending inwardly in the head or button from the outer ends of the grooves, and a complementary device secured to the other one of two flaps and composed of two prongs extended on either side of the shank and fitting in said grooves in the head or button, and having outer angular ends which extend into the recesses at the ends of the grooves, substantially as set forth.

Chicago, Illinois, November 27, 1896.

JOHN F. POPE. 

